As part of the ongoing India-Taiwan Relations series by TheNews21 — Manik Kumar, SEA Business Development Head of Socle Technology Cooperation, Foxconn Group, champions New Delhi’s aggrandized economic outreach with Taipei in the recent years under the leadership of PM Modi. The Delhi boy, who made it big in Taipei, canvasses the island nation of Taiwan to be the land of opportunities in higher education, business, and employment for Indians looking for a home, away from home
New Delhi:
TheNews21: How have things changed since you first came to Taiwan – in terms of growing Indian community, business opportunities, employment, and cultural exchange?
Kumar: I came to Taiwan more than 10 years back to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree. During those times there were only a handful of Indians residing in the Hsinchu region. Now after more than a decade in Taiwan, I see a tremendous increase in the number of Indians and in the capacity in which they have come to Taiwan. A crucial aspect is the cultural exchange and its promotion. With the growing Indian community in Taiwan, we celebrate almost all the Indian festivals here, it is like a home away from home. Indian festivals are being celebrated in different cities of Taiwan with great enthusiasm and participation from local Taiwanese also. Moreover, the Taiwan government and its renowned Universities have designed policies to promote and encourage India-Taiwan exchanges and ties. All these efforts are making Taiwan a very ideal place to stay, work, and feel closer to your cultural roots!
TheNews21: What were your early day struggles in the island nation of Taiwan?
Kumar: The foremost credit goes to my parents who were very familiar with Taiwan and decided to opt it as a destination for my higher education. My parents convinced me to pursue my higher studies in Taiwan, under the prestigious Taiwan Government Scholarship sponsored by Ministry of Education (MOE) and emerged as one of the recipients in 2008. Being a non-Mandarin speaker, I knew I would face some inconvenience in communication and exchanges and indeed it was an issue at that time. However, I started attending Chinese-Mandarin language classes, and finally after a year, I was able to overcome this issue.
TheNews21: How has the IT sector evolved between India and Taiwan – achievements so far and what can be done to aggrandize it further?
Kumar: For the past many years, IT which for me stands for India and Taiwan, has been engaged in various technological cooperation. During recent years, Taiwan has proved to be very strong in the hardware design and semiconductor industry whereas India is very strong in software and system integration. Both countries share vast opportunities, especially in the semiconductor and manufacturing sectors. Many multinational companies from Taiwan have already invested or are now expanding their footprints in the Indian market. Some potential areas of cooperation include product design and development, semiconductor, manufacturing (EMS), Component eco-system in India, and equipment and testing machines – making India less dependent on a single source. Therefore, a number of opportunities lie In front of both countries with a very bright future ahead!
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TheNews21: Could you share your experience as part of the Indian diaspora in Taiwan?
Kumar: The experience has been simply great. The people of Taiwan really admire our culture, food, and skills we have in the IT sector. Taiwanese consider Indians as ‘smart’ and ‘hard-working’ individuals possessing in-depth knowledge about mathematics, computer science (IT), science, and management. Most Indian expats are into white collars jobs in Taiwan. People in Taiwan also love Indian food, spices, and sweets.
TheNews21: How do Taiwanese citizens view Prime Minister Narendra Modi?
Kumar: For the past couple of years Prime Minister Modi has definitely sketched India and its culture in front of international citizens. And there is no denying that PM Modi and his policies are having an optimistic imprint of India in Taiwan. In fact, Taiwanese entrepreneurs are actively promoting to extend India-Taiwan ties. The vast market potential, our young working force, startup ecosystem are pushing ties between Taiwan and India to next level. Yoga is also very popular in Taiwan. Taiwanese people are now more interested in knowing about Indian culture and traditions. The business community is more positive to invest and do businesses in India after the implementation of Make in India, Skill India, and Digital India schemes by PM Modi. Moreover, many new recent schemes such as PLI, SPECS, MCEPS-2 has led to many companies from Taiwan to go and invest in India by taking advantage of the incentives offered by the government.
TheNews21: How do your fare the trade ties between India and Taiwan to date, and could you suggest a road map for further entwined economic relations?
Kumar: To specifically suggest a roadmap for enhancing economic ties is still too early to direct because the process is still in its developing stage. However, there is a drastic increase in trade and investment numbers from Taiwan to India for enhancing local manufacturing. I would strongly recommend the development of semiconductor and enhancements in supply chain building as a stepping stone to reach greater heights.
TheNews21: Could you share your thoughts on the much talked ‘Free Trade Agreement’ between the two countries?
Kumar: In the absence of formal diplomatic ties the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is working closely with India Taipei Association (ITA) to help and boost trade and economic exchange between New Delhi and Taipei. The cordial and substantive relations between India and Taiwan are not only continuously growing but are being strengthened further substantially. The signing of the Free Trade Agreement between India and Taiwan is aimed at fast-tracking the promotion of trade ties between the two nations. Looking at the present scenario, it is possible but still needs a lot of work.
TheNews21: Is Taiwan the next big destination for Indians – in terms of trade, tourism, and employment?
Kumar: Actually, I feel Taiwan has already become a ‘next big destination’ for Indians. It is overwhelming to see the response from both sides. Travel and exchange ties in terms of trade have existed for a number of years. However, temporary migrations to Taiwan have increased tremendously in the field of employment and education. In recent years, Taiwanese traveling to India for education, trade and commerce, and tourism have also increased significantly.
TheNews21: How are the Indians in Taiwan bridging the gap between India and Taiwan which diplomacy has failed to do?
Kumar: The fact that more and more Indians, be it, students, academicians or entrepreneurs, are considering Taiwan as a preferred destination to work and live, is very optimistic in itself. These aspects are the promotion of the ‘soft power’ through exchanges and cultural promotion, thus shaping India-Taiwan relations.
